Al Jazeera on Wednesday completed a deal to take over Current TV, the low-rated cable channel that was founded by Al Gore…

Good for him. What else?

Al Jazeera did not disclose the purchase price, but people with direct knowledge of the deal pegged it at around $500 million, indicating a $100 million payout for Mr. Gore, who owned 20 percent of Current. Mr. Gore and his partners were eager to complete the deal by Dec. 31, lest it be subject to higher tax rates that took effect on Jan. 1…

Mr. Hyatt said they agreed to sell to Al Jazeera in part because “Al Jazeera was founded with the same goals we had for Current,” including “to give voice to those whose voices are not typically heard” and “to speak truth to power.” Other suitors who didn’t share Current’s ideology were rebuffed. Glenn Beck’s The Blaze approached Current about buying the channel last year, but was told that “the legacy of who the network goes to is important to us and we are sensitive to networks not aligned with our point of view,” according to a person familiar with the negotiations…

As he says:

That’s Irony #1. Irony #2 is Al Gore walking away with $100 million in dirty oil money. Well, it would be ironic if it weren’t so predictable. Al’s a whore, basically. Gore, I mean. Not Jazeera.

Human rights groups have urged Qatar to free a poet detained last year for what they say was peaceful criticism. Mohammed al-Ajami is reported to be facing a secret trial on charges of “inciting to overthrow the ruling system” and “insulting the emir”. The case against him is said to be based on a poem he wrote in 2010 which criticises Sheikh Hamad Al Thani.